The Chevrolet Epica is a Korean-built four-door saloon. It will take its power from a choice of 2.0-litre six-cylinder engines, with the petrol car deliver­ing 140bhp and the diesel 150bhp. These will be mated to six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes.

The Chevy Epica is set to rival non-premium big cars such as the Peugeot 607. The Epica’s unusual compact petrol powerplant is the result of a development programme started by Dr Ulrich Bez – now boss of Aston Martin. Succes­sor to the Leganza – which wore a Daewoo badge before the Chevrolet brand name was adopted in 2005 – the Epica is called Magnus in Korea. It will be costing from around £15,000.

It is expected to be available in the market by the end of this year.